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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

News for the Day

Intiman Theatre Announces Two New Programs for Its Audiences

Date Night for Parents (a partnership with Kids Co. and Seattle Children’s Theatre) and Wine Wednesday (a pre-show wine tasting) will be offered throughout the year

SEATTLE— Intiman Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Bartlett Sher and Managing Director Brian Colburn, announces two new opportunities for its audiences to think, talk, laugh and stay connected to each other.

Intiman is partnering with Kids Co. and Seattle Children’s Theatre to offer Date Night for Parents, a childcare program for parents of children between the ages of 4 and 12 to attend productions at Intiman on Saturday nights throughout the season.

Kids Co., accredited by the National AfterSchool Association, will provide childcare at the John Hay Elementary School in Upper Queen Anne beginning at 6 pm once for each production in Intiman’s season. Children will have the opportunity to participate in a drama workshop led by Seattle Children’s Theatre instructors, play games, have a pizza party and watch a movie. Parents will then enjoy a private pre-show reception at Intiman beginning at 6:30 pm, with appetizers provided by Center House Bistro and complimentary wine.

Participating parents will receive a discount on tickets to the Intiman production; additional discounts are available for multiple children from the same household. For pricing, additional information or to sign up to participate, patrons should contact Kathleen Maki at Intiman at kathleenm@intiman.org or 206.269.1901 ext. 281.

Date Night for Parents / dates for this season are as follows:

A Thousand Clowns, Saturday, June 6

Othello, Saturday, July 18

The Year of Magical Thinking, Saturday, September 12

Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Saturday, October 17

Also new this season, Wine Wednesday is a pre-show wine tasting presented by Maryhill Winery, 2009 Washington Winery of the Year. Beginning at 6:30 pm, patrons are invited to sample various wine selections in Intiman’s private reception room and enjoy catered horsd'ouevres. The fee for the wine tasting is $15. To participate, patrons should call 206.269.1900.

Wine Wednesday / dates for this season are as follows:

A Thousand Clowns, Wednesday, June 3

Othello, Wednesday, July 22

The Year of Magical Thinking, Wednesday, September 9

Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Wednesday, October 21

These new programs join Intiman’s ongoing opportunities for patrons to go behind the scenes and take part in conversations, including Spotlight Supper (in which patrons hear from our artists and watch a technical rehearsal) and post-play conversations throughout our season.

Seasonal support for Intiman Theatre is provided by ArtsFund; Intiman Theatre Foundation; Kreielsheimer Remainder Foundation; The Leading National Theatres Program, a joint initiative of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; and Washington State Arts Commission.

Intiman Theatre gratefully acknowledges the following major donors for their institutional support: The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Ameriprise Financial, ArtsFund, The Boeing Company, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, John Graham Foundation, Hafer Family Foundation, Intiman Theatre Foundation, Kreielsheimer Remainder Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Microsoft Corporation, Nesholm Family Foundation, The Norcliffe Foundation, PONCHO, Safeco Insurance, The Shubert Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, U.S. Bancorp Foundation, and WaMu. Additional funding is received from Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, City of Seattle; 4Culture; Metropolitan King County Council; National Endowment for the Arts and Washington State Arts Commission.

Seattle, WA – May 4, 2009 – After more than a decade of mutual admiration, 14/48: The World’s Quickest Theater Festival and On the Boards will join in an artistic alliance of the two arts organizations most-dedicated to featuring new work generated by the region’s most fearless artists.14/48 will run Fridays & Saturdays, July 31 - August 1 & August 7 - 8 at 8:00 and 10:30 pm at On the Boards. With thirteen solid years of growth under their belt, 14/48 (fresh off a Standing Room Only January 2009 festival ) will enter On the Boards proudly carrying a 2008 Mayor’s Arts Award and enough beer, food and caffeine to fuel over 100 of the city’s most adventurous theatre artists who will create 14 plays in 48 hours.

14/48 is 14 plays conceived, written, designed, scored, rehearsed and performed in 48 hours. The brutal combination of short deadlines, extreme talent, incredible speed, frayed nerves and an immediate inspiration serve to strip away creative inhibitions occasionally found in more traditional theater, proving that, contrary to popular opinion –sometimes the first idea is the best. 14/48 involves more than 75 artists per weekend with at least 25% participating for the first time. Artistic participation is by invitation only and is predicated on the most rigorous professional standards.

Here’s how 14/48 works:

Early Thursday Night, Before the Festival Begins: After tapping the ceremonial 14/48 Keg, all the participants choose a theme by completing this sentence: “Theatre would be a lot more interesting if there were seven ten-minute plays about _____.” One answer is chosen at random and that becomes the theme for the following evening.

Thursday Night: Seven caffeine-filled writers have one night to write a 10-minute play based on the theme.

The Next Morning: Seven directors gather and each randomly draw one play. Thirty minutes later, the directors blindly choose actors and actresses to cast the show.

That Day: The band shows up to provide music and sound, designers create all technical aspects of each show as the directors and their casts rehearse all day.

That Night at 8pm: The seven plays have their World Premiere.The audience provides the theme for Saturday’s show via a random drawing and get out for the 10:30pmaudience.The artists get ready for the 10:30pm show and ask “What did we get ourselves into?”The writers grab a cup of coffee and get to work.

Showcasing Seattle’s best interactive comedy, Evening of Improv is the perfect nightcap of whip-smart, lightning fast improvisational comedy. Designed as a companion piece to ACT’s mainstage production of Below the Belt, Evening of Improv deliversthree unique shows Friday evenings at 10:00 p.m. in the Bullitt Cabaret immediately following Below the Belt.

May 29, 2009This Improvised Life: The stories of a lifetime told in an instant. Playing off the corporate culture experiences outlined in Below the Belt, This Improvised Life takes real experiences from the audience, and then combines video, writing, and comedy to create smart, funny, and poignant stories live on stage–instantly! The talented cast of This Improvised Life includes: Eli Boer, Gabe Denning, Graham, Downing, Belinda Fu, Jana Healy, Conner McNassar, and David Rollison.

June 5, 2009Twisted Flicks: America’s first fully improvised movie show. The film title is to be announced, but you can bet your bottom dollar it will be a classic cheesy B-grade quality film (or worse). The movie is shown without its original soundtrack. All dialogue, sound effects, and music are improvised, based on suggestions from the audience, by a crack team of more than a half-dozen professional improvisors.

June 12, 2009 Improsia: Welcome to the evolution of storytelling! Improsia taps into the improv expertise of three local interactive theatre giants:Douglas Willott, Joel Dale, and Andrew McMasters. Together they work hard to create great improvisation, whether it comes in the form of drama or an acid trip. In the spirit of all that’s awkwardly funny in Below the Belt, Improsia focuses on characters and how their worlds collide when forced to interact. It is intense; exposing and breaking down the patterns people come to expect in improv.

Tickets to Evening of Improv are $10, or $7 with the purchase of tickets to ACT’s mainstage production of Below the Belt, andare available at the ACT Ticket Office, 700 Union Street, Downtown Seattle, (206) 292-7676, or online at www.acttheatre.org. For more information about Wing It Productions, The Central Heating Lab, or ACT Theatre’s mainstage production Below the Belt, visit www.acttheatre.org